Steering-gear.



Patented July 25, 1916.

D. E. ROSS.

STEERING GEAR.

APPLICATION m50 MAY 5. w13. RENEwED1UN19.191s. 1,192,462.

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UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

DAVID E. ROSS, OF LA FAYETTE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO ROSS GEAR AND TOOL COlVIPANY, 0F LA FAYETTE, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

STEERING-GEAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 5, 1913, Serial No. 765,654. Renewed June 19, 1916. "Serialv'No, 104,578.

T o all whom t may concer/n Be it known that I, DAvin E. Ross, of La Fayette, in the county of Tippecanoe and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steering- Gear; and I hereby declare t'iiat the following is a full, dclear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

This invention is a novel improvement in steering geai's. and its object is to construct a simple and economical steering-gear which can be easily operated and will securely hold the steering crank in any position to which it is adjusted by the steering shaft and will prevent any casual reversal of motion by back pressure on the steering crank.

I will explain the invention fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, iii Which- Figure l is a vertical section through a steering gear embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is an enl. rged section'on line 2-2, Fig. 1, looking upward.

1 designates a rocker-shaft which is jourlnaled in a lateral extension 9 of a casing or housing 9; which may be made of any suitable construction. To the outer end of the rocker-shaft 1 may be attached the steering crank. or ball arm, 1a of ordinary construction; said steering crank in practice beingr suitably mediately connected (by means not shown) with the vehicle steering wheels. On the inner end of the rocker-shaft 1 is fixed ay double armed lever 1b, on the opposite arms of which, at points preferably equidistant from the axis of the shaft 1, are pivoted shoes 2 and 3;A said shoes may be pivotally mounted on studs 1c on the arms of the lever l, and secured thereon by washers and pins as indicated in Fig. 2, or in any other suitable manner.

The shoe 2 is' adapted to engage a cam member al which has a preferablycurvcd cam face 4* opposed to and engaging the relatively curved face of the shoe 9.. The shoe 3 is adapted to engage a cam member 5 which has a preferably curved cam sui'- face 5X engaging the relatively curved face of the shoe 3. The cam surfaces 4f. 5* are similar but oppositely inclined. and are so formed that if the two cam members be moved simultaneously in ,opposite direc tions, the lever 1" will be rocked but the shoes 2 and 3 will always remain iniclosei contact with their respective cam sur-faces The shaft l will be rockedto- 4f and 5*. right or left according to the movement (of the cani members a and 5; but in any and allV positions of said cam members 4 and `5, .the shaft 1 will be locked by the engagement of said cams and shoes.

As shown the cam 4 has an internally threaded shank portion 4a engaging external threads on a. worm sleeve-member 6 rotatably mounted in the casing 9. The cam 5 has a cylindric shank 5a which isexternallyv threaded and engages internal threads in the worm sleeve member 6. This sleeve member G has an end thrust bearin against ball bearings 6b secured within tlfe casing by a plug 9C. A hollow. steering post 6 may be keyed7 or otherwisev rigidly connected,l at its inner end to the worinA sleeve member '6, as indicated in the drawingsiso that said member may be rotated by the. usual steering wheel, not sh' xvii, on the vouter I end of the post 6. A guide tube Sinay be'att'ached to the casing 9 and extendsbetweenthe cams 4 and 5 and through the hollow shank 5EL of am 5 as shown. The `control rodi or tube .7 may extend through the hollow steering post and worm member and guide tubef8 between the cams as indicated in Figs. l and "21.fso

Patented July 25),

that the steering gear williiot interfere with i for the said cams and relieves their shan'ks' of lateral strain. y

It will be seen from the drawing that when the steering postGc is turned the worm sleeve member 6 will also be turned andthe cams l and 5 will be thereby. moved in opposite directions longitudinally of the casing, with the effect on the rocker-shaft 1 above described.

The curvature of the faces of the shoes Q and 3 and their opposed cam surfaces 4:, 5X are such that the shoes always remain in contact with the cam surfaces; and asthe cams l and 5 travel iii opposite directions the shoes 'z2 and 23 are kept in close contact with their ',ispeciive cani surfaces, and the shaft l rocked. I preferably locate the slices equidistant from the axis of shaft 1 and make the cams l and move equally and simultaneously in opposite directions; and in such case', as. will be obvious, when the worm sleeve member G 1s rotated, the cam members l and 5 will be moved equally inopposite 'directions with great force, i-andwill-v throughvlthe cam surtaees sie, 5X and shoes "2 and--roek the shaft l; andjsuch shaft -will be held seem-elyv in. whatever position i adjustedby the 'cams by reason ot' the continual engagement of sald'cam surfaces vwith .-'10

the lsaid shoes; such cam vsurfaces-and shoes preventing any: casual reverse movement of the rocker-shaft by jpressure applied to the the cams A and their respective shoes .move that is when cam 2,V (or moves downward also.

" a rocker-shaft, opposite armsthereon, shoes vWhat I claim iss. y

l.V In a. steering gear, the combination of .pivoted on said-arms, cams having surfaces slidably. andv Vfrictionally engaging said shoesfto resist wear and at the same time prevent casual slip, and means for simultaneously moving the cams in suoli manner thatl the shaft is rocked while the shoes ie.

mainfin frictional contact with the opposed Canis, each cam and its, relative shoe-moving n the same direction.

2. In a'steering gear, the combination of A.-a. rocker-shaft, opposite shoes pivotally connected therewith at equidistant points therefrom, opposite cams frictionally engaging the respective'shoes to resist f vear and at the same time prevent casual slip, means for shifting said cams simultaneously and equally in opposite directions, and an intermediate braceand guide for said cams with which they have .sliding Contact,A each cam fand itsr related shoe moving in the same direction.

3.4 In a steering gear, the combination lof a rocker-sharia; opposite arms connected therewith,- shoes pivotally connected with said arms ,and equidistant from the shaft,

oppositely facing longitudinally movable oams'having surfacesv slidably and frictionally engaging said shoes to resist wear and and means for operating the rotatable worm member.

l. The combination of a rocker-shaft, op-

posite arms connected therewith, shoes pivotally connected with said arms and equidistant' therefrom, oppositely movable cams Vfrietion'ally engaging the shoes, an .internally threaded worm member connected with one cam, an externally threaded worm member connected with the other cannxed means for guiding the cams interposed therebetween, a rotatable externally and internally threaded worm sleeve member engaging the worm sleeve members of the cams, and means for operating :the worm sleeve member, substantially as described.

5. In a steering gear, the combination of a rocker-shaft, a double armed lever on said shaft, shoes pivotally connected to the arms of said leverat points equidistant from the shaft, oppositely movable and oppositely inclined cams frictionally engaging said shoes, and adapted to etlect the rocking of the shaft and the locking thereof in adjusted position, each cam and its related shoe moving in the same direction, one cam having an external worm threaded portion on its shank; and the other cam having an interiially worm threaded portion on its shank; a fixed bar extending between the cams to `guide, them in their movements, a rotatable worm sleeve engaging the AWorm threaded portion of both the cams, and a steering post for operating said rotatable Worin sleeve..

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I aix my. signature in presence of two witnesses.

DAVID E. Ross. 'i IVitnesses:

H. L. TEMPLE,

H. E. WARD. 

